Please find attached a summary of the results of
the mayoral and urban council elections and parliamentary by-election held on 30
and 31 August 2003. Note that in some cases MDC candidates were barred from
registering to contest in the elections by marauding Zanu PF
militia.

A summary of the nomination process is also
attached for interest's sake.

DISGRUNTLED settlers
ordered by the government to vacate a farm topave way for President Robert
Mugabe’s kin on Friday severely assaulted therelative, Marjorie Winnie
Mugabe, and her two sons, Jongwe and Hugh, theDaily News learnt
yesterday.

Winnie is the widow of Mugabe’s late nephew,
Innocent, who died twoyears ago.

It could not be
immediately established why the settlers at LittleEngland Farm near Zvimba,
Mugabe’s rural home, in Mashonaland West provinceattacked Winnie and her
sons.

But Winnie has clashed with the about 1 000 families at
the farm afterthe government gave the families up to last Sunday to leave
the prime farmto pave way for her and 68 other selected new

settlers.

Winnie has already moved onto the farm, where she is
occupying whiteformer farmer Graham Smith’s house.

The
settlers, who illegally occupied the farm encouraged by rulingZANU PF
officials at the height of the often-violent farm invasions in 2000,have
vowed to remain on the farm despite what they allege are attempts
bygovernment security agents to intimidate them off the
property.

Winnie could not be reached last night for comment on
the latest clashwith the farm settlers.

Police spokesman
Wayne Bvudzijena yesterday said that he was unawareof the attack on the
President’s relatives. He said he would check withNyabira police station –
in charge of the area – but had not given feedbackat the time of going to
press.

Chiyangwa said: “They assaulted Marjorie and her two
sons. They aresavages. Why are they campaigning through newspapers to
demonise others?

“I have declared them illegal and they will
sink if they think theywill be legitimate somehow.”

The
settlers, who are still occupying Little England despite expiry ofthe
deadline to leave the farm, accuse senior ZANU PF and governmentofficials of
corruption and of wanting to push them off the farm so as totake it up
themselves.

They say they will resist any attempt to evict them
in order to exposecorruption in the government’s controversial fast-track
land reformprogramme.

But the government says the families
must leave the farm because theywere improperly settled there in the first
place.

State land officials say the farm has been allocated by
a governmentland committee to Winnie and 68 other people.

Meanwhile, war veterans settled at Chabwino Farm in Goromonzi onSunday
ordered nearly 7 000 former workers of evicted white farmer PeterHowson to
vacate their houses to pave way for the former freedom
fighters.

The farm workers yesterday said they have been
without clean drinkingwater at the farm for the last three weeks after the
former fightersallegedly vandalised the farm borehole in a bid to push the
workers out ofthe farm.

Christine Mudoni Majone, a
representative of the workers at ChabwinoFarm, yesterday said the war
veterans had constantly threatened them withexpulsion for allegedly refusing
to work for them.

OPPOSITION Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party
leader MorganTsvangirai yesterday vowed to "fight to the bitter end" but
acknowledgedZimbabweans were losing faith in elections, the only means
through which hisMDC party could unseat President Robert Mugabe from
power.

In an address to the nation following last weekend’s
urban councilpolls, won by the MDC, Tsvangirai acknowledged that there
wasdisillusionment among Zimbabweans, most of whom doubted the chances
ofachieving political change through elections.

Tsvangirai
said: "Events of the past weekend in which a significantlyreduced number of
people turned out to vote show that the majority seem tohave begun to lose
faith in elections.

"They realise that as long as the national
quest for an all-inclusivedemocratic culture and for comprehensive political
change remains anunfinished agenda, the benefits from participating in these
elections canalways be spoiled by our opponents."

The urban
council elections held in various towns and cities and theMakonde and Harare
Central by-elections held over the weekend were marred bya general voter
apathy.

The MDC could not field candidates in Marondera,
Bindura and Chegutuafter ruling party supporters sealed off the nomination
courts in the threetowns.

The MDC has constantly accused
ZANU PF of plotting with theRegistrar-General, Tobaiwa Mudede, to rig
elections in favour of the rulingparty. Mudede denies the
charges.

ZANU PF spokesman Nathan Shamuyarira, while
acknowledging that aculture of voter apathy was gripping Zimbabwe, denied
that his party thrivedon voter apathy.

He said: "We are
working hard to convince the people to come out andvote. For example, we
could have scored bigger margins in the urbanelections but most of our
sympathisers did not vote. Being a people-drivenparty, we don’t at all
encourage apathy, by whatever means."

Tsvangirai called on his
supporters to galvanise for what he said wasgoing to be a "long
struggle".

He said, "We have since realised over the years that
elections, andelections alone, do not always guarantee freedom and
change.

"However, may I urge you to raise your heads high and
soldier on.Apathy, in spite of all the odds and the nasty experiences we
have gonethrough, is not an option. We are moving fast towards the
establishment of ademocratic dispensation in which justice, freedom,
solidarity anddevelopment become a lifelong goal."

The
opposition leader also vowed to continue with a court applicationchallenging
President Robert Mugabe’s controversial re-election last year.

"We are not prepared to recognise the electoral fraud that took placein
March 2002. We are not withdrawing the legal challenge. We will fight tothe
bitter end until we realise our goals," he said.

CHIREDZI – A magistrates’ court here barred the ruling
ZANUPF-aligned Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions (ZFTU) from
collectingmembership fees from about 80 sugar industry workers because the
workerswere not benefiting from their membership of the
union.

Magistrate Judith Zuyu granted the order last Thursday
after theworkers had applied to the court seeking to be allowed to renounce
theirmembership of the union and that the court interdicts the ZFTU
fromcollecting money from them through their employer, Triangle
LImited.

Both Triangle Limited and ZFTU were cited as the
respondents in thecourt application.

Triangle Limited was
not represented during the hearing while ZFTU wasrepresented by its
self-proclaimed provincial president, Admore Hwarari.

Hwarari
is also the Zanu PF provincial political commissar.

Herbert
Chigayo of Chuma Gurajena and Partners, who represented theworkers, argued
that there was no basis for contributing money since nobenefits from the
union were realised by the workers.

"According to the labour
regulations, the workers, therefore, want toresign from the union and stop
paying contributions," he said.

Chigayo yesterday told the
Daily News that the workers have sincestopped paying contribution to
ZFTU.

He said his clients were now seeking to recover the money
they hadcontributed. He did not say how much in total his clients wanted
back fromthe ZFTU.

But sources within the organisation said
several millions of dollarscontributed by workers, most of them in the sugar
industry, was allegedlymisappropriated by union leaders. It also emerged
that the union had no bankaccount and most of the workers’ contributions
were banked in the individualaccounts of ZFTU officials.

THE opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
consolidated itshold in urban areas defeating the ruling ZANU PF party in
council electionsheld last weekend, in a development analysts said
reaffirmed the oppositionparty as major player in resolving Zimbabwe’s fast
deepening crisis.

Analysts said Zimbabweans’ show of faith in
the MDC, which nowcontrols 11 of the biggest cities and towns in the
country, should nudgePresident Robert Mugabe and his ruling ZANU PF party
into talks to find apolitical settlement to the country’s
crisis.

The MDC, which was already in charge of five cities,
won six out ofseven mayoral seats that were contested last
weekend.

The opposition party also grabbed 137 council wards
against Zanu PF’s87 wards in the various cities and towns throughout the
country.

University of Zimbabwe (UZ) political analyst Eldred
Masunungure toldthe Daily News that apart from reaffirming the MDC as a
crucial piece on thepolitical chessboard, the results should prod Zanu PF
back to thenegotiating table.

ZANU PF has appeared
unwilling to resume dialogue with the MDC under anew initiative led by
Zimbabwe’s church leaders, which is aimed at revivingtalks between the
country’s two biggest political parties.

The MDC has already
submitted its position paper on dialogue but ZANUPF appears to be virtually
walking away from the negotiating table.

Masunungure said: "The
election results are important in that theyshow that the MDC are not a
passing cloud and cannot be wished away.

"Zanu PF should
realise that talking is mandatory and one hopes thatthe doves, as opposed to
the hawks, in Zanu PF will reaffirm their positionthat there is no way
forward except dialogue."

Masunungure, who is head of the UZ’s
political and administrativestudies department, added that the weekend polls
had buoyed the stature ofthe MDC in the region and internationally as a
permanent and irrevocablefeature on Zimbabwe’s political
landscape.

"The balance of power has been reaffirmed and there
should be soberingup on both sides who should now be humbled into talking to
resolve thecountry’s deepening political crisis," he said.

But respected former liberation war fighter Dzinashe Machingura saidthe
violence and fraud marred urban councils election was yet
anotherillustration that there could be no democratic change in Zimbabwe
until thecountry’s electoral system was overhauled.

Machingura said: "The mere fact that there were no elections held inother
towns and cities because opposition candidates were barred fromaccessing the
nomination court and the reported violence in other areasdemonstrate the
serious need for the electoral system to be overhauled.

"We
must have an independent electoral commission and adoptinternationally
accepted standards for holding elections,"

But will Zanu PF now
take the MDC seriously following its unquestioneddominance in urban
areas?

Machingura, who heads the Zimbabwe Liberators Platform,
which groupstogether former guerrillas opposed to the indiscipline and
violenceassociated with pro-government war veterans’ groups, said the poll
resultswould instead toughen ZANU PF’s opposition to talks.

He said: "Zanu PF has always taken the opposition seriously and thatis why
they are not going to level the electoral playing ground. I do noteven see
them agreeing to talks simply because of these elections becausethat would
mean they are acquiescing to the demands of the a reality drivenby the
MDC."

Fewer Zimbabweans turned out to vote in the August 30 and
31 urbancouncil elections, which analysts had said could work to ZANU PF’s
advantagebecause of its smaller but more loyal support in urban
centres.

Masunungure said: "The apathy is an expression of the
politics of thedominance of the belly over the politics of the ballot. Given
a choicebetween queueing for essential commodities and queueing to vote,
mostZimbabweans would queue for the former."

Human rights
lawyer and activist Lovemore Madhuku said ZANU PF and itsallies were likely
to use the urban council polls to call for the lifting ofsanctions against
the Zimbabwe government at the next Commonwealth Heads ofGovernment Meeting
(CHOGM) scheduled for Nigeria in December.

He said: " Zanu PF and
its allies will call for the lifting ofsanctions on the grounds that if they
are such masters of deceit, why wouldthey allow themselves to get defeated
in most urban councils?" But Madhukusaid the ruling part would still not be
in a hurry to return to thenegotiating table despite its lose to the MDC.
"Zanu PF will continue to runaway from the talks. They are not simply
refusing to talk because they donot take the MDC seriously, they are running
away because they want to tirethe MDC and disillusion its supporters who
will be expected to blame theirparty for failing to deliver change," Madhuku
said. By Luke TamborinyokaChief News Editor

WHEN people talk about the lavish lifestyles led by first ladies,the
immediate name that comes to mind is that of kitschy Imelda
Marcos.

Amidst the impoverished existence of the Philippinos,
she oozedmillions of US dollars and her soul remained untouched by her
opulenceamidst the abject poverty of the average man, woman and
child.

The desperation to keep the vault of those riches –
which bought theunnecessarily very many pairs of shoes – firmly closed saw
the assassinationof popular opposition leader Begnino Aquino, husband to
Corazon, in 1983 byFerdinand Marcos’ security forces. Three years later, a
popular andbloodless uprising brought his widow, Corazon Aquino, to power
and democracywas restored.

What is it about first ladies
that they will stand by and enjoy thegood life and the best of everything at
the expense of the oppressed masses?Is it all embodied in the matrimonial
vows and that lifetime commitment andallegiance to one’s
spouse?

It cannot be denied that the presidents act more in
cahoots with theirwives than anybody else as the wives have no wish to
censure their lovinghusbands and, in the process, forfeit the lifestyles of
the rich but not sofamous.

African first ladies have
unfortunately been caught up in thatpolitical realm that puts fortune at the
fore and the people’s concerns laston the list, that is if all at they make
it to that "things to do" list. Andas a natural consequence, it is the lives
they lead that often get them intothe newspaper pages and for the wrong
reasons, making them extremelyunpopular.

But because human
beings have always exhibited that spirit thatill-consoles them that the next
man’s misfortune won’t find its way to one’slap, the aftermaths of some
once-upon-a-time African goddesses have not yetpricked their consciences. If
that reflection occurred, I would imagine theAfrican first lady saying to
her power-drunk hubby, "Okay, Mr President(unlike other lesser mortals, she
does not mean it in the strict sense; shemerely uses it as a pet name!),
let’s get out of here before the masses callfor our blood. At least if we
move now, the next first couple won’t seizeour ill-gotten
wealth."

"Nonsense, woman," he bellows angrily, "I am not
moving from thisspot. The day I will move is when you, sweetheart, take me
to the Heroes’Acre. End of discussion." Instead of asking, "whose hero?" she
gives him ahuge bear hug. In her mind, the African first lady does not want
to be astatistic of first wives dumped by first husbands, for whatever
reason.

Idi Amin, that devil incarnate, did not make any effort
to hide hisunparalleled presidential libido as he "married" and divorced
innumerablewomen. Too bad for the Ugandans who had had a lecher for a
leader!

A few years ago, one of the women who enjoyed the
tyranny of theboxer-turned-president was traced to the seedy avenues of
downtown Londonliving from hand to mouth.

If any lessons
are to be learnt about how good times indeed come to anend (a miserable one
at that) the former Mrs Amin offered one invaluabledidactic tale to other
first ladies who had the unenviable privilege ofbeing married to men on a
self-aggrandisement mission.

That shift from master to servant
has been known to drive some who areemotionally frail to the loony bin, and
it is by the grace of God that theformer Mrs Amin eluded that fate. Many
more before and after her make surethat the day does not come when they have
to ask for salt from theirneighbour, thus the clinging to power despite
their massive unpopularity.

Obviously the fate that befell the
former Mrs Amin is imagined to be acase in a million, but what then happens
when the husband loses powerthrough a popular and bloodless revolt in the
fashion that befell theMarcoses in the Philippines?

If they
did not possess the trait to enable them to empathise with thepoor before
they met the despot, the women have sadly been afflicted withthe megalomania
syndrome and will stand by and assist thehusband-cum-president in plundering
and destroying the country. But why thefocus on first
ladies?

Well, this is primarily because women have been
stereotyped assensitive to the sufferings of other women’s offspring, that
is if we electto ignore the female commanders of farm invasions who have
chased fellowmothers and their babies strapped to their backs as they demand
the land thepoor peasants have occupied for generations.

So, from that assumed empathy would then emerge as a logicalconsequence
pleas to the husband and president to listen to the people’stravails. Do not
underestimate the clout of the first ladies. The presidentmay be the leader
of the nation, but she is in charge!

Immediately in that same
vein comes to mind Eleanor Roosevelt,described as "wife and adviser of
Franklin D Roosevelt". And we thought theadvisory role belonged to the
politburo, at least for our purposes here! OrNancy, wife to Ronald Reagan,
who famously said: "For eight years I wassleeping with the president, and if
that doesn’t give you special access, Idon’t know what
does."

As if to confirm that unparalleled influence over Mr
Ronald Reagan,White House Chief of Staff, Donald Thomas Regan said on
submitting hisresignation from that position in 1987: "I thought I was Chief
of Staff tothe President, not his wife." Amid such influence, one has to
imagine thenthe clout of the African first lady over the president. She
becomes theequivalent of the Immaculate Virgin Mary whose intercession is
valued inCatholic tradition, whereby the people appeal to her to put in a
good wordfor them to God, or with the president, in this
case.

Being a mother, a first lady would ideally be expected to
give thewhole presidency a humane feel, but it is a great tragedy that
Africa hassorely lacked in that regard when names like Samuel Doe, Charles
Taylor,Siad Barre, and many others from that same bloc are
recalled.

There just is never much to show African first
families as people whoidentify with the suffering of the general population.
While there would bebroad governmental consultancy on various issues, Nancy
Reagan shows us thatreal power ultimately lies with the first lady! Africa
needs strong-willedwomen at the side of these despots for it looks like with
the "specialaccess" they enjoy, they are the only people who could really
knock senseinto the skulls of these men.

Or better yet, it is
time Africa had a woman president, and then wewould have something like a
"first husband" – or whatever he would becalled – in the mould of the late
Dennis Thatcher, husband to Margaret. ByMarko Phiri Marko Phiri is a social
and political commentator.

THE results of
the weekend urban council elections have once againconfirmed the importance
to national politics of Zimbabwe’s main oppositionparty, the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC).

Apart from emphasising that the MDC
enjoys significant support fromZimbabweans across racial, tribal and
regional lines, the outcome of thepolls aptly demonstrated that the people
of this country want change in theway they are being
governed.

The outcome of these elections should help the ruling
ZANU PF gaugethe mood of the nation.

Despite massive voter
apathy – the result of a severe economic crisisblamed on the government’s
mismanagement – the four-year old MDC stillmanaged to make a clean sweep of
most of the urban council seats up forgrabs around the
country.

This also despite indications of vote-buying,
political violence andelectoral irregularities blamed on ZANU
PF.

The MDC’s overwhelming victory, although largely expected,
can only beviewed as a vote of no confidence in the ruling party by the
people who aremost affected by Zimbabwe’s worst economic crisis since
independence in1980.

It is also significant that the people
of Kariba voted in Zimbabwe’sfirst white executive mayor, despite racist
vitriol from ZANU PF, which hassought to foster racial hatred in the past
four years as part of itspower-protecting bag of tricks.

Now that the election hype is over and as Zimbabwe moves forward, wehope
Zimbabwe’s leaders will read the signs that are there for all to
see.

It is no longer enough for them to pretend that they still
have thehearts and minds of the nation when the people have so clearly
demonstratedtheir disenchantment with the way that they are being
governed.

It must be clear by now, even to the government, that
blaming the MDCand "racist imperialistic forces" for all of our problems
will simply notwash with the people of Zimbabwe.

Clearly no
one is falling for this line anymore.

Zimbabweans want their
problems to be addressed NOW so that they canmove on with the business of
living and building a prosperous nation.

The government cannot
continue to ignore or engage in a tug-of-warwith the MDC. The opposition
party has proved that it deserves to beacknowledged as a legitimate
opposition party that has the support ofZimbabweans, and which is a crucial
partner in attempts to find a solutionto the country’s
crisis.

The outcome of the weekend elections has shown that
Zimbabwe isvirtually a divided nation, with ZANU PF controlling its
traditional ruralstronghold while the MDC holds sway over the urban
electorate.

Very little good can come from such a situation for
either party orfor the nation as a whole.

It is important,
now more than ever, that Zimbabwe’s main politicalparties begin to make some
headway in resolving this unhealthy situation bysitting down to come up with
a negotiated political settlement.

No amount of public
posturing and face-saving will change the realityof the
situation.

BULAWAYO – Talks aimed at easing trade tensions between
Zimbabwe andZambia have failed to yield positive results five months after
they began,it was learnt this week.

Officials involved in
the Zimbabwe-Zambia joint commission discussionstold the Business Daily that
the Zambian trade authorities continued to useparallel market rates in
calculating and levying import tax on Zimbabweanproducts.

Besides banning about 15 Zimbabwean products last year, Lusakaauthorities
have also begun charging import tax using parallel market ratesin an effort
to protect Zambia’s commerce and industry from cheaperZimbabwean
products.

Priscilla Pilime, regional manager for the Zimbabwean
quasi-governmenttrade body, ZimTrade, said the issue of parallel
market-based import tax haddominated the latest round of bilateral trade
discussions between the twocountries.

Formal and informal
dialogue was held between the two countries at theend of last month, but
with no positive results being achieved.

Pilime said the
Zambian authorities were charging rates of at least $2500 against the
greenback on Zimbabwean imports, forcing locals to increasethe prices of
their goods to recoup their costs, but also putting them indanger of losing
out to local competition.

The Zimbabwe: United States dollar
exchange rate has depreciated to aslow as $5 500: $1 in the past two
months.

"There is formal and informal trade going on between
the twocountries, and a level of smuggling as well. The Zambian argument has
beenthat Zimbabweans are dumping cheap goods into their country, and that
thishas effectively killed their local business," Pilime told the
BusinessDaily.

"As a result of this, those going the formal
way, through officialpaperwork and documentation, are dealing in bulk
exports and the Zambianauthorities have pegged the exchange rate at parallel
market rates againstthe American dollar."

Charging import
tax on parallel market rates effectively increases thecost of Zimbabwean
exports to Zambia, a situation that is favoured by mostindustrialists in
that country, who are intent on keeping thecompetitiveness of their domestic
products.

Both countries fall within
the Common Market for Eastern and SouthernAfrica (COMESA) free trade area,
which allows for the movement of importsand exports without the payment of
customs duties and for the removal ofnon-tariff barriers to trade between
them.

However, Zimbabwe and Zambia are allowed to levy import
tax onproducts crossing their common border.

Trade and
industry officials from the two countries met in May to ironout several
issues, particularly the ban on selected Zimbabwean products byZambia, and
the effect of the Zimbabwean parallel market on import tax.

Although the joint commission talks and the intervention of COMESAresulted
in Zambia lifting the ban on Zimbabwean products, trade officialsthis week
said the parallel market-based import duty remained in place, inspite of
pledges to remove it made by Zambian authorities.

A senior
official at the Zimbabwe High Commission in Zambiaacknowledged that Zambian
trade officials were using parallel market ratesin determining import tax on
Zimbabwean products.

The official said: "It is something that
is happening and it wasanticipated that the joint commission talks would
solve this issue.

"Although we receive these reports, it is
hoped that dialogue betweenour trade industry and Zambian officials within
the joint commission willyield results for fair trade and
competition."

The official said Zambian officials were
regularly reviewing theexchange rate, justifying their moves by indicating
the local dollar’sinstability against hard currencies.

FEW Zimbabweans will have heard of Alastair Campbell.
Some mightconnect him with the Campbell soup cans made famous by the pop
artist AndyWarhol so many years ago.

Or they might mistake
him for a relative of Donald Campbell, who brokethe land speed record in his
specially souped-up racing car many years ago.

But those who
bother to keep abreast of current international events –it’s hard when you
spend half your life in queues – will recognise him asTony Blair’s top aide
and "pugnacious" spokesman, according to Reuters.

It would be
amazing if there were Zimbabweans with no inkling of whoTony Blair is.
President Mugabe has publicly denounced him as the chiefarchitect of most of
our economic and political woes.

A singer without any notable
talent in that department, but withplenty of other dubious talents – such as
being without a shred of respectfor his audience – penned a song about
Blair.

To many, it illustrates how low the Mugabe government
has sunk in itsdesperation to slander its imagined enemies.

But to return to Alastair Campbell: last week, he announced he wouldquit as
Blair’s spin-doctor-in-chief. It’s over the scandal of the Iraqinvasion that
Campbell ended up with so much dirty soup on his face. Heapparently helped
Blair to strengthen the case in favour of an attack onIraq.

The theory is that if he had not doctored the evidence brought to theprime
minister by weapons experts such as the late David Kelly, the invasionmight
not have taken place.

His resignation, according to all the
analyses, will not end Blair’sproblems with the British people. Some still
want his head on a platterbecause they believe he fulfilled the role of
George W Bush’s poodle thatmany had warned him of long before the decision
was taken to attack.

Others want him punished for sending their
sons to die in Iraq fornothing but to appease his and Bush’s
machismo.

What are the chances that Blair himself might be
persuaded by hisLabour Party colleagues to resign to save the party from
humiliation at thenext general elections?

The pressure on
him is bound to mount as his detractors demand that heatone for his sins
over the Iraq invasion.

In the end, Blair might opt to take the
honourable route – resignbefore being kicked out on his
fanny.

The Labour Party may not be as ruthless with its leaders
as theConservative Party is, but Blair could find himself in Margaret
Thatcher’splight, being sacked after having led her party to a very long
tenure inoffice.

But looking at the invidious position of
Jacob Zuma, the South AfricanDeputy President who is mired in his own
potentially Waterloo-size crisis,you wonder why, in Africa, it is such a
rarity for a leader to take thehonourable route of resigning before that
horrible stinking stuff hits thefan.

I hope most
Zimbabweans know who Zuma is. He is the former husband ofthe South African
foreign minister, Nkosazana Zuma Dhlamini.

I could be wrong,
but he must be the highest-ranking Zulu politicianin President Thabo Mbeki’s
government

Zuma’s name has been dragged through the mud over
allegations ofsoliciting for a bribe in a big arms deal. The evidence
against him,according to the director of public prosecutions, Bulelani
Ngcuka, was notsolid enough for them to charge him.

These
things can happen anywhere in the world. But anywhere in Africawhere there
is always a whiff of corruption in high places, there are goodgrounds to
suspect political skulduggery.

The Scorpions, who probed the
allegations until they thought Zuma mustbe put to his defence, were
thoroughly miffed when they were told their casewas not watertight
enough.

Tony Yengeni (you must remember him!), the disgraced former
leader ofthe House, must be pretty fed up too. He might feel that when it
comes tothe law in the new South Africa, some people are more equal than
others. Hehad to cut a deal not to have the entire book thrown at him over
some shadydeals of his own. In Zimbabwe, leaders have displayed such a
thick-skinnedreaction to allegations of corruption it is rare for them to
even offer toresign if they are caught with their pants down. It must be
thisunwillingness to take the honourable route which results in probe
afterprobe being ordered into allegations of malfeasance when all it would
takeis for the President to take the suspect into his sanctum for a
tete-a-tete:"Look, comrade, you must save us the embarrassment of washing
your dirtylinen in public by resigning, rather than waiting for me to fire
you. In anycase, we can’t waste any more of the taxpayers’ money by ordering
anexpensive inquiry into what we all know you did." Is it possible that
someof these culprits might retort with: "Talking about the taxpayers’ money
. .. is it necessary for you to make all these trips, with your wife and
awhole entourage of nurses and cooks – all at the taxpayer’s expense?" Is
itat this point that Mugabe then shakes his head and says: "Point taken.
Wewill set up the inquiry and as usual won’t publish the findings. But
justone day, I’d love to be able to announce that Minister So-and-So has
decidedto resign because he has admitted accepting a massive bribe from this
Germanor Japanese or Swedish company . . ." I doubt there will ever come
such aday in Mugabe’s presidency. He missed his great opportunity to play
ThePeople’s President over the farms scandal. There was solid evidence
thatsome of his colleagues had acquired more than one farm. Flora Buka
seemed tohave done a thorough job. It was dynamite but Mugabe has never had
the gutsto handle political dynamite. He may have proved to be the
consummatepolitical manipulator in ethnic-balancing or being always a step
ahead ofthe opposition, but he doesn’t seem to have the statesman’s courage
tochallenge those closest to him to publicly admit their mistakes and
beprepared to take their punishment like men – amadoda sibili. None of
thepeople who can qualify to be called his real "cronies" have ever been
askedto walk the political plank. This is why his presidency may be
remembered asone of the most corrupt in Africa. Perhaps it is a question of
perceptions.Leading the liberation war from a makeshift headquarters in the
jungles ofMozambique, Mugabe learnt not to be squeamish about cutting
corners. Perhapshis perception of what constitutes corruption is so
drastically alien tomost of us we must have good reason to be frightened of
his legacy to thiscountry. Who knows? To Mugabe, resigning over a scandal
may not be thehonourable act of a man of courage. It could be the coward’s
way. For hismonumental failure to help this country achieve its full
political andeconomic potential, he ought to have resigned years ago. But
that would bethe coward’s way, for him. He would rather go down fighting. By
Bill Saidibsaidi@dailynews.co.zw

PORT LOUIS,
Sept. 3 — Zimbabwe's foreign minister said on Wednesday the mainopposition's
victory in weekend council elections showed democracy was aliveand well in
the southern African country despite international criticism. Western
powers have accused President Robert Mugabe's government ofrights abuses and
several have rejected his re-election in 2002 polls whichobservers and the
main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) saidwere
rigged. The MDC narrowly defeated Mugabe's ruling party in the local
polls,seen as a test of the opposition's hold on urban voters.
''The governing party (ZANU-PF) barely survived in the urban centres,with
the opposition taking most of the seats and this proves that Zimbabweis a
real democracy,'' Foreign Affairs Minister Stan Mudenge told a
pressconference during his honeymoon on the Indian Ocean island.
''We have the biggest opposition party in parliament in the whole ofAfrica,
yet we are still accused by the international community of
beingundemocratic,'' Mudenge said. The MDC victory was seen
strengthening its symbolic grip on majortowns, but the government has
imposed central control of municipalities. Zimbabwe is facing a severe
economic crisis and Mudenge said thegovernment was seeking trading and
investment partners among Asian countrieslike China in a bid to resolve the
problems he said had been fuelled bydroughts and international
sanctions. ''We are reorienting our economy towards Asia as we have
found ourvulnerability in relying on the West, and now we want to look at
Asia as aserious trading partner,'' Mudenge said. Mugabe's
government denies accusations that it has mismanaged thecountry, leading to
shortages of food, fuel and lately local banknotes.

Zimbabwe government in bid to boost maize
production September 3, 2003

By Sapa-AFP

Harare - The Zimbabwe government has more than doubled the price itwill pay
for maize and wheat in a bid to boost production in the famishedsouthern
African country, a newspaper said Wednesday.

According to the
state-controlled Herald maize will now be bought for300,000 Zimbabwe dollars
(about R2660) a tonne, up from 130,000 dollars,while wheat will now fetch a
price of 400,000 Zimbabwe dollars (about R3545)a tonne, up from 150,000
dollars.

Millet and sorghum will be bought at the same price as
maize, thepaper said.

It is the second time this year that the
government, which is the solelegal buyer of grain, has hiked the producer
price for wheat and maize, amidreports that farmers were holding on to their
harvests because of the poorprices offered.

However, the
government-run Grain Marketing Board (GMB) will continueto sell maize and
wheat to millers for less than the buying price, thenewspaper
said.

Zimbabwe is critically short of food due to poor harvests
which thegovernment blames on drought but which aid agencies blame partly on
acontroversial government land reform programme.

Under the
reforms, launched in 2000, land was taken from white farmersand
redistributed to landless black people, often with little or no
farmingexperience, causing production levels to plummet.

The
UN's World Food Programme estimates that 5.5 million of Zimbabwe's11.6
million people will require emergency food aid by the end of theyear. -
Sapa-AFP

Harare, Zimbabwe - The ruling party conceded on Wednesday that
oppositiongains in local elections were "a rude wake up call" for its
politicians,officials and campaigners.

Jonathan Moyo, a ruling party
spokesperson who is also the government'sinformation minister, said victory
by the Movement for Democratic Change inmost town council polls across the
country last weekend were sobering, andthe ruling party needed to examine
the reasons for its losses.

"We should have seen it coming. The writing
was on the wall but somehow wedid not read it," Moyo told the state Herald
newspaper, a governmentmouthpiece.

"We can't be mourning. It's good
we have gotten a rude wake up call" aheadof the next parliament elections in
2005, he said.

The opposition won control of 10 town councils in the
weekend's localelections, according to results released on Tuesday. The
opposition MDChailed the polls as a sign people were dissatisfied with the
increasinglyauthoritarian government and worsening economic
hardships.

The local elections in this troubled southern African country,
whichincluded races for two vacant parliament seats, were beset by low
voterturnout and reports of political intimidation by members of the
rulingparty.

The opposition captured 134 council seats across the
country to the rulingparty's 100.

The opposition also retained its
parliament seat in central Harare, whilethe ruling party retained a seat in
Makonde, a traditional stronghold of theruling Zanu-PF.

Debate hurt
the party

Moyo said preoccupation over stalled talks between the ruling
party and theopposition, to negotiate an end to the country's political and
economiccrisis, caused some ruling party officials to lose focus ahead of
the polls.

Debate and speculation on a possible ruling party successor to
longtimeruler President Robert Mugabe, 78, also hurt the party, he
said.

Talks between the two main parties collapsed after the opposition
refused torecognize Mugabe's election for another six-year term in
presidential pollslast year.

Attempts to revive the talks as the
economy crumbled this year have failed.Mugabe is demanding the opposition
drop a court challenge to his re-electionscheduled to begin the High Court
on November 3.

The MDC has refused to drop the case and is demanding
Mugabe step down.

Independent and foreign observers said Mugabe's narrow
win in thepresidential poll was swayed by intimidation, corruption and vote
rigging.

Cash crisis

Zimbabwe is suffering its worst economic
crisis since independence in 1980,with record inflation of 400 percent, one
of the highest rates in the world.Soaring unemployment and acute shortages
of hard currency, local money,food, gasoline, medicine and other imports are
crippling the economy.

Opposition officials reported widespread
intimidation of their supporters inthe run-up to and during the elections.
They also said ruling partycampaigners were handing out food to voters in
some areas in a bid to gaintheir support.

The state election
commission dismissed those reports as "exaggerated."

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, Sep 3 (IPS) - They
hunt in family groups over greatdistances, chasing mostly impala, kudu and
duiker until the prey tires andcan be caught.

Thus, they have earned
a well-deserved reputation for being efficient,indefatigable hunters who
will disembowel prey in a matter of minutes,before lions or hyenas get a
chance to move in.

Yet, less known about them is the fact that the sick
and wounded, togetherwith the young members of the pack, are looked after,
fed on regurgitatedfood and nursed back to health.

Painted hunting
dogs, also known as Cape hunting dogs or African wild dogs,so named for
their individual and elaborate skin markings, were some of themost maligned
of Africa's predators.

What is known about them now is that they are very
social animals living inlarge packs numbering up to 40. There is usually one
breeding female in eachpack, which gives birth to a litter of up to 10 pups
at a time that thewhole pack takes turns in looking after.

The dogs
used to be a common part of the African wilderness. But with theadvent of
the European colonisation, they were branded vermin andmercilessly
persecuted, to the extent of being eradicated from nationalparks. Their
numbers were reduced from some 500,000 to 3,000.

Now they are an
endangered species.

Between 1956 and 1961 about 2,700 were killed in
Zimbabwe alone for a bountypaid by the government to protect livestock. And
those were just therecorded deaths.

This kind of slaughter went on
throughout the continent where previously thedogs had been sighted even on
the snows of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania andoften wondered into the Sahara
Desert.

The Zimbabwe population fell to a low of 150 in the early 1980s.
The totalfor Africa now stands at about 3,000. The Zimbabwe dog population,
spreadthrough three locations: Hwange and Gonarezhou national parks and
theZambezi Valley, was the largest in the world.

But that was before
poachers moved in. They have reduced the dogs'population from about 850 to
600. Tanzania has about 800 dogs, Botswana 500and South Africa
200.

At the forefront of the species' survival in Zimbabwe is zoologist
GregRasmussen whose Painted Dog Research Project has existed since
1989.Operating from the south western part of the country, in and around
the14,000-hectare Hwange National Park, Rasmussen and his team have been
quitesuccessful in allaying ranchers' concerns about the dogs and also
bringingabout a high level of awareness within the
population.

Monitoring with the help of radio collars and translocation
has brought thedogs in areas where they had not been seen in
decades.

The project has three main focus areas: identifying through
research theproblems facing painted hunting dogs in Zimbabwe, disseminating
informationregarding the problems facing this species and actively reducing
knowncauses of mortality and preventing those that are looming. A
considerablepercentage of fatalities are caused by motor vehicles as the
dogs - movingin packs - frequently fall victim to road accidents, especially
when theymove in and out of game reserves.

Thus, apart from erecting
road signs warning motorists of the dogs' crossingpoints along the
Bulawayo-Victoria Falls highway, Rasmussen has developed aspecial collar for
the dogs with reflective strips and a stainless steelplate. It makes it
easier for motorists to see them in the dark, and alsoprotects the dogs'
windpipe should they get caught in snares.

The results of
extensive tests on improved survival of dogs wearing thecollars have shown
that the protectively collared dogs had significantlyhigher survival chances
than the rest.

However, given that each pack needs about 750 square
kilometres in order tothrive, the dogs' future is far from secured since
this exceeds what mostgame reserves can provide.

Some
environmentalists say the only long-term solution to the problem is
thecreation of trans-frontier parks that will give wild dogs enough room
toroam. Not only would this minimise habitat loss to humans, it would
alsoprevent inbreeding, a phenomenon that bodes ill for the survival of
thespecies.

The proposed Gaza-Kruger-Gonarezhou Transfrontier Park, a
wildlife reservespanning South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe has been
thrown in doubt dueto the reported occupation of Gonarezhou game reserve by
land-hungryZimbabwean peasants.

For Rasmussen's study packs, however,
the problem has been less academic.Poaching, fuelled by Zimbabwe's chaotic
land-reform programme, has led tothe demise of three out of five study
packs, or over 30 dogs in the last 18months.

Since Feb. 2000,
thousands of Zimbabwe's white farmers have been pushed offtheir land as the
government sought to redress colonial land imbalances inan unplanned
populist programme driven more by the ruling party's fear oflosing power
than a desire for genuine reform.

In many instances, government-supported
war veterans of Zimbabwe'sliberation struggle have move in, sharing the land
among themselves. Otherfarms have been partitioned for ”new black farmers”
many of whom are contentbeing absentee landlords or are still trying to find
their feet.

”We need an indication of who should live here and who
shouldn't,” Rasmussensays of the Gwaai Conservancy, part of his study area
consisting of severalranches within which game could roam, but now without
careful policing. ”Alot of people have moved in merely to collect
wildlife.”

Apparently, the wild dogs are not the only wild animals
falling victims topoaching. The Zimbabwe Wildlife Producers Association
estimates that halfthe country's wildlife has been killed in the last two
years, when thecountry's land programme gained steam.

Rasmussen notes
that 16 members of his project's anti-poaching unit areremoving 1,000 snares
a month and fear that in six months they will have nojobs since the game
might have been wiped out.

”Now everyone has left the ranches, the
poachers are having a free lunch,”he says. ”Most of the poaching is for
selling meat and nothing else. Thereis absolutely no control.”

He
says Zimbabwe's reputation of having the best wild dog programme hassuffered
a major setback.

The worst poachers are South African hunters whose
”reputation from hell” iswell-known, Rasmussen says. ”The South Africans
destroyed their own wildlifeand had to restock with animals bought in
Zimbabwe. ”Now there is thiswindow of opportunity in Zimbabwe.”

Yet,
to stem the tide, Ben Kaschula of the Commercial Farmers Union,
whichrepresents mainly white landowners, says the rule of law has to return
tothe farms. ”If poaching were to cease, the game would recover given
time.”

For the endangered painted wild dogs, there might be no third
chance.(END/2003)

04 September 2003Lands, Agriculture and Rural resettlement
Minister, Dr Joseph Made saysgovernment will not tolerate any attempts to
disrupt farming activities innewly settled farms by former white commercial
farmers who continue to liveon farms despite completion of the compulsory
acquisition process under thelaw of Zimbabwe.

Dr Made told Newsnet
that his ministry has received reports of disruptiveactivities by some
former farmers who are mobilizing workers against newfarmers and instigating
work stoppages and strikes, especially on tobaccofarms.

Some of the
former farmers are barring new farmers from working on theirpieces of land
by ploughing access roads.

Dr Made said such activities are adversely
affecting the work on tobaccofarming which is Zimbabwe’s highest foreign
currency earner.

Our beautiful country is in a mess due entirely
to the dreadful NAZI style illegal "Government" that has seized control. We need
every ounce of help that we can get.

And now, our dearest friends, the Presidential
Herd, is in danger!

This is a wonderful herd of elephants that is
totally unique in Africa, well, obviously in the whole world.

THEY HAVE NEVER EVER
BEEN SHOT AT, AND TREAT HUMANS AS THEIR CLOSEST FRIENDS.

For the uninitiated,
elephants are the most incredible animals. They talk to each other, often many
miles (kilometers) apart. We, as humans have been unable to decipher their
language. They are extremely family orientated and really care for each other
very much. They are dignified and are the true rulers of
Africa.

There are many many stories
involving the Presidential Herd. I would like to relate just ONE that I was
involved in.

Many years ago, (my
daughter was 3, she is now 24) we were lucky enough to be on a "camp" in the
area. The guide took us into a family group of the herd in a Land Rover gliding
quietly (switched off) into the centre of the family. They were busy eating
acacia pods fallen to the ground from the huge trees. My wife and daughter were
in te front with the guide. I was standing on the back with other members of the
party. One of the aunt elephants were sniffing at us in the back of the Land
Rover, her trunk within two inches of our bodie, her head towering above
us.

Well the family stopped
eating. They slowly retreated backwards, moved off and regrouped some distance
away. Their size and their posture; if they had wanted to they could have
annihilated us in seconds!

NO. THEY KNEW THAT A YOUNG
WAS IN DISTRESS BECAUSE OF THEM!

AND NOW WE HAVE A SITUATION
WHERE ONE OF OUR ILLEGAL "GOVERNMENT" OFFICIALS WANTS TO SLAUGHTER THESE
WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL CREATURES.

OH PLEASE, PLEASE HELP
STOP THIS DREADFUL CARNAGE THAT IS ABOUT TO TAKE PLACE.

Farm 41 (Khatshana) and Kanando ('State
land') have just been 'taken'. The Governor of Matabeleland North is the new
'owner'. The worst part, is that this 'Hwange Estate' area is now to be
completely HUNTING .... The Governor already has his hunting quota (as seen by
Alan Elliot), and there's 2 female elephant on the quota. So much for the
'protected' Presidential elephants .....

We need 'noise' out there - outrage,
objections, whatever you think might help.

I've involved the Wildlife Society and
asked for help, if nothing else, to at least try to get female elephant off any
hunting quotas around this area. (It would probably be NPs Main Camp who are
signing off on these hunting quotas ... i.e. Warden Marfu???) These elephant
are supposed to have protection by way of the signed 'presidential decree' after
all. Of course the best solution is to have this all overturned completely, but
that seems unlikely. (The guy's already got his hunting quota .... ) But we
must, at least, try to protect these elephant family groups
..... .

There's not much time. The Governor
apparently plans to start hunting THIS season - and the season ends in
November .... so it would seem that he's ready to start hunting at any minute
...

> Mugabe's man claims top reserve for
'hunting'> > September 01 2003 at 07:55AM> >
By Gustav Thiel> Amid weekend reports that Zimbabwean President Robert
Mugabe is building a> R60-million retirement mansion, it has emerged that
one of his closest> allies has claimed the world-renowned Hwange Wildlife
Estate to be used for> hunting purposes.....

Botswana's government is
to bury 12 unclaimed corpses of illegal Zimbabweanimmigrants in a mass grave
as tension between the two neighbouring countriesmounts. Francistown
district commissioner Sylvia Muzila said yesterday that"hordes of unclaimed
corpses of illegal immigrants are jamming thegovernment mortuaries in the
country and they will be buried in a massgrave". She said some of the
corpses had not been claimed for more than ayear. The number of bodies was
later found to be 12, of which 11 wereZimbabweans. "The costs for dignified
burial are too high and the best thingthat we can do is to have a mass
burial." Muzila said she had appealed tothe Zimbabwean authorities to get
relatives to come and claim the corpses,but the process was hampered by the
fact that the illegal immigrants had notbeen identified. "Most of the
illegal immigrants were admitted into thehospitals through different
ailments and they are largely of sexually activeage," she said, suggesting
that some might have died of HIV/AIDS.

This comes at a time when
diplomatic temperatures between the two countrieshave risen following
Botswana's move to erect a 500km electric fence alongtheir border. The
Zimbabwean government claims Botswana is trying to erect afence along "Gaza
Strip" lines, targeted at Zimbabweans. However, Botswana'sagriculture
ministry was defiant yesterday, saying it was going ahead withthe fence
despite objections from its northern neighbours. "It is 500km and2,4m high,
starting from Tuli Circle to Zibanana and designed to controlanimal
diseases," the acting director of veterinary services, Musa Fanakiso,said.
"We are going ahead with the construction as planned."

Botswana has
had two footand-mouth outbreaks in less than two years in thenortheastern
part of the country and their source was traced to Zimbabwe.The outbreak led
to the closure of the northern abattoir, temporary layoffsand the suspension
of beef exports to European Union markets. Botswana saysit is experiencing
its biggest immigration problem since independence in1966 as thousands enter
the country, fleeing economic meltdown in Zimbabwe.The immigration
department said it been overwhelmed by the problem and hadjoined police and
army patrols enlisted to fend off the influx. "We haverecently started joint
border patrols," said the immigration officerresponsible for the northern
region, Oliver Toteng. "We are repatriating atleast 2500 illegal Zimbabweans
a month." The government has expressedconcern that the repatriation exercise
is likely to cost more than $1m thisyear.

The first
time I met Rana from Palestine, she looked as though she had juststepped out
of a beauty parlour. Her hair was newly and nicely permed, hernails
perfectly manicured and her toes were a beautifully pedicured, deeppurple. I
kept staring at her, long after she had introduced herself. Thiscould not be
a woman straight out of the battle-scarred Palestine. Where andwhen do women
have their hair done in the midst of conflict? Okay, I couldunderstand the
hair - perhaps done in a makeshift salon at the back ofsomeone's house. But
not the manicure and the pedicure. How can one bepedicured and still find
time to dodge the war planes? What would Rana havesaid if the Israeli
military had found her feet immersed in a foot spa?"Excuse me, major, while
I soak them. Oh, mind my fingers, please, thispolish takes a long time to
dry!" When it became obvious to Rana that I wasstaring at her, she felt
compelled to tell me so. I explained to her exactlywhy. She laughed hard.
"You watch too much TV! We still manage to get onwith our lives, even in the
midst of all that. We have to have hope andfaith. For me the beauty parlour
is a place I go to find some pleasure andpeace. I know the planes may come
any time. But why deny myself the chanceto live when I still have
it?"

I was a very green activist then. I tried hard to understand
this wisdomfrom my new friend from a war zone. But I couldn't. Zimbabwe had
justcompleted its first decade of independence. We had barely entered
thedisgruntlement era. How could I ever understand what it was to live in
anoccupied territory? Zimbabwean TV had done a lot to make many of us aware
ofthe horrors of Palestine. Hence my thinking that the whole place was
onehuge battlefront, and that there were no beauty parlours. Rana was
afeminist fighter par excellence. As I got to know her over the three
weeksin the year that we, together with other feminists, launched the first
16days of Activism Against Violence Against Women, I came to admire her.
Sherelated how, in Palestine, they organised as women in the camps and on
thestreets. She spoke passionately about freedom for women. Since that
year,1991, I have wondered whether Rana is still alive. Those were the
daysbefore e-mail - for both of us, at least. I sent her a number of
"snailmail" letters. I never received a reply.

Today I find
myself living in my own kind of Palestine. A different one, buta nation in
conflict nonetheless. I get a number of breathless phone calls,e-mails and
surprised greetings from my friends around the world: "Are youall right? How
are you coping? Are you sure you are okay? You look so well,have you moved
from Zimbabwe?" Read this with all the breathlessness thatyou can muster in
a British, American, Indian or South African accent.Sometimes I get
irritated. Like Rana, I don't understand why peoplegenuinely think there is
something incongruous between my manicured nails,my waxed eyebrows and the
politics I speak. I understand that sometimes theymean well. Like Rana, I
have chosen to enjoy the little pleasures of lifewhen and if I still can -
damn this conflict. Like Rana, I have also chosento fight the good fight for
my country, and for my rights and those of otherwomen. I could easily wallow
in my little world and abandon this strugglefor freedom. I am part of that
small minority that can still afford to livefairly comfortable lives: meet
for lunches at the fabulous Amanzirestaurant, have dinner at the Meikles,
lie down for two-hour massages andfill trolleys in the supermarket. We, the
self-chosen few, can easily countour blessings and thank our various gods
that we are still on our feet whereothers have drowned. Our children can
listen to the distant rumble oftrouble in their land of plenty and wonder on
which planet wahala, as theNigerians call it, would be happening. I read it
in my daughter's eyes a fewmonths ago. She, at the glorious age of 17, could
not understand why I wasforever stressed, angry, and running hither and
thither to "politicalmeetings". She flicked through the DStv channels
looking for the fun stuff,not mum's weird current-affairs
channels.

My aunt's daughter Shirley died a week ago. Wonderful,
full-of-life Shirley.I still can't imagine her dead. I was not around to see
her buried, so I amstill in denial about her death. For two days she lay in
ParirenyatwaHospital. No qualified doctor ever saw her. Just a group of
medical studentstrying to figure out why she had gone comatose from flu.
There are fewdoctors left in Zimbabwe. Most of the good ones have gone to
other pastures.I don't know whether they are necessarily greener. What I do
know is thatthey have gone to hospitals where there is medicine to give
patients. Wherethere are systems that govern how patients are cared for.
Shirley might havehad pneumonia, as they told us after the fact. But she
died of neglect. Myfamily are angry about all this. I don't blame the
doctors. They are doingthe best they can with what is available. As the
"Rhodesians" like to say tous when they are angry, "Go and tell your
[Robert] Mugabe." I blame him andhis henchmen (yes, men) for Shirley's
unnecessary death. The chain of eventssurrounding it serve as reminder of
the rottenness of the state of Zimbabwe.

We could have put her in a
private hospital, but we could not access thecash that was needed to pay the
deposit. By the time we factored in all thebasics, we needed about half a
million dollars in cash just to get her inthrough the door of a decent
hospital. They wouldn't take bank-certifiedcheques because there has been
too much fraud. At Parirenyatwa, there wereno specialist doctors to see her.
We kept her there because we eventuallyfound a matron who promised us that
she would help us because, as she toldus, "here it is a matter of who you
know". My cousin knew too few people,too late. Shirley died while waiting
for X-rays and a head scan. Pari, as wecall it, is the hospital of choice
for the middle and lower-middle classes.Until recently it was the place to
go if you had a basic medical aid or abit of cash. It was also a referral
hospital for the lower classes with evenless money and life-threatening
illnesses. Now you have to "know somebody"to live? I sincerely hope all my
middle-class friends and relatives knowenough "somebodies" to save their
lives. I hope, too, that all the people Iwork with in international NGOs and
in the private sector who keep silentabout the crisis in this country have
enough of everything under theirmattresses for all sorts of emergencies:
cash, fuel, doctors, nurses, food,coffins and whatever else.

The
problem, though, is that there is a limit to how much cash or fuel youcan
stock up on. There are too few doctors for them to be on personal callto all
of us. After Mugabe and the chiefs have had their share, we are leftwith the
crumbs of these basic needs. What should be a basic right andnecessity has
become a mammoth favour from those we "know". When you get apassport, as my
friend Noma did after paying her way through several doorslast month, you
thank your ancestors. We go around the world showingimmigration officials
where to stamp in our passports, just in case we runout of space. Sooner or
later we'll run out of space and out of the peoplewe "know". We can get
manicured all we want, but as long as the rest of thiscountry is not at
peace, our nail varnish will never dry. The reality ofrepression keeps
barging into our false little spaces. That is why we mustfight for what we
are entitled to as human beings and as citizens of thiscountry. While I can
forgive foreigners who breathlessly wonder how thingsare in Zimbabwe, I find
the attitude of some of us who live and work hereunforgiveable. I find the
outlook of those who talk about development,rights and good governance quite
incomprehensible. Granted, not all of uscan go throw stones at State House.
But do we ever get angry enough to wantto go and find the stones? The day
the upper and middle classes in Zimbabwerealise that cheque books and credit
cards will not buy us the freedoms weneed, is the day we will be like Rana.
Manicured and pedicured, yet stillstanding up for Zimbabwe.